On Sunday the 15th of March Belgravia Leisure is hosting an end of season pool party at the Coburg Olympic Pool from 11.00 am til 6.00pm. There will be free entry, inflatable pool toys and a sausage sizzle.
Even if it ends up being too cold for a proper swim, it would be nice to hang out on the grass and enjoy our pool one last time before it closes at the end of March until December.
We've also started a Facebook page which you can find here.
Each Wednesday during February (that's the 4th, the 11th, the 18th and the 25th) there will be an early morning swimming session at Coburg Olympic Pool from 6.30am to 8.30am. Perfect for that swim before work. Or perhaps a chance to do some laps without the children. Or maybe a chance to enjoy the pool before the busyness and/or heat of the day.
The Friends of The Coburg Olympic Pool are contributing some of the money raised at Pool Together towards these mornings. We've thought all along that the pool really needs to be open early in the morning to reach full potential as a lap swimming venue. So this is an opportunity to test the waters and show that there is a demand for this timeslot.
It would be great if readers of this site could spread the word about the Wednesday in February early swim sessions to other pool users or anyone else who might be interested. We've also just started a Friends of Coburg Olympic Pool page on Facebook. So if anyone wants to become a fan and spread the word....
Of course it's also pretty obvious that there's a demand for opening hours between 8.30am and 11.00am and again at the end of the day, particularly on hot nights. So expect a new campaign around opening hours soon. Let us know your thoughts.
by Kitty Owens
Dinner at the pool is the newest coolest social occasion in the Northern Suburbs for the summer of 09. This is the start of some recipe sharing for pool foodies - and an invitation to dine for those who haven’t tried it yet. Coburg Olympic Pool is open until 8pm on very hot summer nights and there’s a free BBQ on site. Picnic/takeaway/BBQ dinner at the pool is THE ANSWER for hot families from the Republics of Moreland and Darebin, who can be seen nibbling and chatting in the generous shade of the noble pool trees.
Pool food I have noticed on nearby picnic rugs and towels
Thai takeaway – spring rolls, rice dishes etc. Overhead leisurely discussion of Thai restaurants in East Brunswick – all good. BBQ snags and skewers, all kinds of salad, rolls – this is a popular choice Cold soy chicken wings with pasta salad – very organised Quiche from a fancy bakery Leftover Indian curry Tinned baked beans with sausage rolls from the kiosk Home made caramelised onion frittata Home made icy poles in an esky!
Pool food possibilities
Take away options nearby include
Fish and chips or pizza from the shops further along Murray road - on the corner of Elizabeth Street.
The best choice of kebabs in Australia – surely - from Coburg shops (Kebab Station for best bread, Half Moon Café for best dips).
Good Vietnamese from the pho shop near Preston Market (on High street) – Rice Paper rolls anyone?
Lovely modern Indian food from Café Sarabella in Coburg mall – buy it in the day when shopping and shove it in the fridge to take to the pool for dinner.
Veg to Go in East Brunswick has great vegetarian take away
Zaatar pizzas and cold salt yoghurt drinks from Al Alami on Waterfield St, Coburg
BBQ suggestions
Coburg Meat supply in Coburg mall does prize winning snags, and have organic, free range and halal options too.
Coburg market – for mushrooms, capsicums, eggplant, zuchinni to BBQ – and haloumi from Elli’s deli
Preston market has it all including a great range of fish
Tasty Rooster in Waterfield Coburg - barn raised not cage raised chicken – they really are tasty - and you can get cold ones from the day before.
Here’s Something I Prepared Earlier (more ideas for dinners to bring from home)
Gazpacho – mm lots of fresh tomatoes whizzed up with stale bread and olive oil and a little good vinegar. Icy cold in a thermos,
Tortillas warmed on the BBQ with lots of fresh salsa (tomato, onion, fresh coriander, chilli, lime juice - mango optional – not traditional but good if you like mango).
Iced water with lemon slices in a glass bottle
Smoked trout with bread and salad
Tropical fruit skewers – with marshmallows optional for kitsch kid spoiling
Dream Pool Café menu – to be continued
The pool has a kiosk selling classic retro pool fare – icecreams, chips and sausage rolls, but many people muse wouldn’t it be great to have a café …apparently Prahan pool has a nice cafe. Suggested items the café could sell
Coffee frappes like they sell in Greece (instant coffee, evaporated milk and heaps of shaved ice) – this suggestion from the glamorous Greek women on the bench the other night Decent coffee! ‘Isn’t it too hot’? I said ‘NO’ said Gina ‘I had to ring a friend who was on their way to the pool to get them to bring me a take-away coffee’. Frozen bananas coated in chocolate and coconut – they sold these at Ceres for a while Fruit smoothies Those yummy Turkish salty yoghurt drinks (addictive)
PLEASE SEND IN YOUR IDEAS AND RECIPES – and pictures of pool food would be good too.
What a gorgeous day at the pool! The weather couldn't have been better and about 600 people turned up. There was music and dancing, fun on the inflatable pool thingy, bouncing in the bouncing castle and sausages a sizzling. Not to mention our beautiful pool and the grass and shady trees that surround it. It's impossible for photos to capture just how awesome this day was but you get the idea! If anyone else has any photos they'd like to share, we now have a fledgling flickr group or you can email them to me at janetmgrigg@gmail.com.
1. t-shirts were in demand, 2. jumping castle, 3. learn to swim pool, 4. robin and sunny, 5. from the entrance, 6. from the terrace looking down to the big pool, 7. diving board in action, 8. lining up for the inflatable, 9. mel watching Newland Creak, 10. merri, sunny and some other children dancing to Newland Creak, 11. watching kids on the inflatable, 12. relaxing at the end of the day, 13. learn to swim pool, 14. splash into the diving pool, 15. lifeguard at learn to swim pool, 16. andy, 17. talking by the pool, 18. bike, 19. nick waves for the camera, 20. looking over the big pool Created with fd's Flickr Toys.
Perhaps the words someone handed to me at the end of the day tell the story the best;
"18th Jan 2008, band a playin', bikes in the distance. The surrounding green like nowhere else I know in this town. Kids breakdancing to the band that's by no means hip hop. But it's community, it's diversity, it's adding to the colour of our moods. On this sunday, on this sunday."
This Sunday, the 18th of January 2009, there's a special Ride to the Pool Day to celebrate the re-opening of the Coburg Olympic Pool and it's special location along the Merri Creek bike path. People are encouraged to cycle to the pool and park out the front. Enjoy free entry as the guest of Christine Campbell MP (Member for Pascoe Vale). Swim in the sparkling waters of the pool, laze under shady trees and listen to a feast of live music. Jump on the jumping castle, eat sausages at the Moreland City Council sausage sizzle (gold coin to charity).
Music starts from 1.00pm....
1.00 - 1.30 Jaye Kranz
1.45 - 2.30 Caroline Kennedy
2.45 - 3.30 Ash Naylor
3.45 - 4.30 Newland Creak
4.45 - 5.30 The Short Order Schefs
There will also be a Friends Of Coburg Olympic Pool table where you can come and have a chat or maybe purchase a tee-shirt or bag. The weather looks like it's going to be good, at this stage the forecast is for 28C... perfect for hanging out at the pool.
We've been swimming quite a lot at our newly opened Coburg Olympic Pool. The season got off to a slow start, with all that cold weather. Then one day after Christmas, I decided that warm or not, we just had to go for a swim. It was fabulous. Once we got in. The getting in was the hard bit, but seriously after that, it was truly fantastic. And it's lovely to look around and see lots of people using the pool.
I've also managed to sneak in a solo visit and swim some laps, followed by some time out under the big shady trees with a book. The view to the creek is most restful. I highly recommend it. There's also a basket ball pad and a barbeque, both of which seem to be getting good use.
So if you haven't been down for a swim yet, come on in, the water's fine.
The re-opening celebration planned for Sunday 14th of December at the Coburg Olympic Pool has been cancelled due to expected bad weather. It is hoped that the bands will play at the Ride to Pool day planned for January 18th. Please spread the word. Thanks.
If you came to Pool Together, chances are you heard the amazing Bruce Watson sing Down at the Pool written in honour of the occasion with some very enthusiastic back up from some Friends of the Coburg Olympic Pool. Bruce is going to be performing again on Sunday the 14th at the pool re-opening celebration and I'd say there's a fair chance he'll be performing Down at the Pool again. We can all sing along. So sit back and remember how it goes....
Down at the Pool footage used with the kind permission of Bruce Watson. Visit Bruce's general site here and his myspace with recent information and lots of music here.
Hope to see you all there. We have a lot to celebrate!
****************** updated 12th December 2008 *****************
The opening celebration planned for Sunday the 14th of December has been cancelled due to expected bad weather. The performances will most likely be re-scheduled to the ride to Pool day planned for 18th of January. Please spread the word. thanks.
Come one, come all! The Coburg Olympic Pool is now open every day from 11.00am until 7.00pm. Swim laps in the refreshing clear water, play in the learn to swim or toddler pool and/or just hang out on the grass beneath one of the many shady trees. And to celebrate the re-opening of our pool, there's a special celebration next Sunday the 14th. Hope to see you there!
The pool is full!!
On Monday the doors will open and we shall frolic in the cool waters of Coburg Olympic Pool.
We will be there to admire the sparkling waters and have a swim when the doors open for the first time in 2.5 years. There might even be a few photographers around taking photos of the long line of sweaty locals looking for a swim.
So come down at 10.45 next Monday and celebrate!!!
Also a few dates for the diary....
December 14 Opening Celebration (pool party).
January 18 Ride to Pool Day (free event).
See you in the lap lane!!
Coburg Olympic Pool is open from 1st of December 2008 until 31st of March 2009 every day. Weekdays between 11 am and 7 pm and weekends 11 am - 6 pm.
ph 9354 2096
See you in the lap lane or on the grass under a beautiful shady tree!
